Laptops/PCs/Apple

Okay so I cannot really see a link between a book ‘62 Projects to make with a dead computer’ and a rather neat small hub/card reader. The first from Workman Publishing and the second from Conceptronic, both however are worth a look.

I first saw this demonstrated early this year, it looked great. However when I tried to do the same, problems occurred, I asked advice and now a later version of the software seems to have solved all the problems that I initially had.

In theory you just connect this External Hard Drive (almost as easy as the USB unit reviewed on Wednesday) install some software and then you have 1TB of external storage, shame it did not happen like that.

First a voice controlled USB powered lamp and then a card reader and USB hub. How does this innovative Hong Kong company keep finding more devices that are available to use from your USB ports?

This is a very thin 500GB portable USB hard drive that displays the free space available even when no power is available (or even connected to a PC). Could this unit be the way that all external hard drives will become?

This has the bold statement on the box ‘Up to 14x faster and up to 6x better range than 802.11g’ Speed is of course useful and range is vital if you are using the wireless option at anywhere near it’s distance capacity.

For someone using even a 17inch display with 1280 x 1024 screen resolution, “upgrading” to a 19 inch wide screen display with 1440 x 900 is unsatisfactory. After all, the lesser vertical resolution is inadequate. Consequently, a reasonable approach is to upgrade to a 22 or 24inch widescreen monitor with 1920×1080 WUXGA resolution and, ideally, to one such as the Viewsonic VX2433wm 24inch which provides both performance and a good degree of future proofing.

A rather different PC in that all you get is a small box not a lot bigger than a video cassette and a wireless keyboard and mouse. This can even be mounted on the back of a panel or a TV so maybe ideal for the occasional user.

Anyone still keen to purchase a Netbook with Windows XP as the operating system could well find this unit one of their last chances. Later this year M&S will launch a different model with Windows 7 installed so don’t delay.

Acer, which claims to hold the number one position in notebook sales in the UK, has announced its new TimelineX range based on the Intel Core series of processors, high quality displays and versatile connectivity. They will start coming onto the market within the next few weeks. The company is offering a number of different series of machines each of which targets a particular sector within the consumer and SMB marketplace.

Having recently looked at a Touchscreen notebook, here, I am looking at an All In One screen that has all the normal connections around the edges including the optical drive with the only external items being wireless mouse and keyboard.

Two more items from those clever USB people in Hong Kong. The first a Star Trek type webcam that allows you to fix the position unlike those built into the screen. Second a device to tell you when you have received email.

The dividing line between desktop systems and their laptop brethren is becoming increasingly blurred as manufacturers incorporate more power, functionality and features into their portable offerings.

Some small notebooks and almost all Netbooks come without optical media. I certainly still have a PC that only has a CD drive and a more recent one with a DVD reader (no ability to write) so this unit can be useful to many

This is a 64bit Windows Notebook that does not cost the earth. The first commercial (rather than an upgrade) product I used was an expensive disappointment, this however should made the juices move, and for an added touch it has touchscreen technology.

This is the third such device I have seen recently; it is probably good news for both the others that I have seen the Kindle third. However if I had not seen the Kindle third I would never have been able to recommend it for a highly commended award.

Rock notebooks are built to order, so delivery time is normally around a week. Here I am looking at what would definitely be a top of the range unit, very powerful and rather expensive, it is all but £3000 and today that is not cheap.

Who would have thought when the first mini low-powered notebook made an appearance that we would soon be faced by an influx of netbooks such as a new offering from Packard Bell (now part of the Acer family).

Recently I told you about the Cool-Er the first such device I had reviewed; here is an even smaller unit from Sony. Sony has the advantage of having produced such devices for a while so this is actually something like generation three.

Over the last months I have requested to look at several of these book reading devices about the size of paperback but definitely lighter than a hardback. This is the first of them to arrive this one is called the COOL-ER.

Some laptops are used as a travelling companion while others are more suited for providing your computing needs in the home. Falling into the latter category is the Asus K50IN.

Earlier this year I saw a demonstration of Solid State Storage demonstrated at an event currently I understand it is available in 64 and 128GB. I was sent a 64GB unit to review by Kingston, their price seems quite reasonable.

Unlike most PC reviews that have to rushed through in only a week or so I have been allowed to keep this unit for an extended period that has allowed me to not only review it but a number of software products with it as the medium.

Better known for its LCD screens and projectors, ViewSonic has recently expanded its field of operation by entering the notebook market. One of the new models bearing the ViewSonic brand is the ViewBook Pro. Now why, I wonder, does that name have a familiar ring to it?

With the large number of pocket sized hard drives on the market it is difficult for the user to choose which set of features is most suitable for them and is thus, as far as they are concerned, the best buy. The Buffalo MiniStation will probably press the right buttons for many people.

Although using a pen or pencil is much more natural than using a mouse, years of using a computer have conditioned us otherwise. The Trust Slimline Widescreen Tablet from Zoombits.com redresses the balance especially for freehand drawing and similar applications.

This is a Netbook from a company who normally – as far as I know – make monitors and panels. However on closer examination I find it is manufactured by MSI for them but HannsNote from Hannspree sounds rather nice

A put-in-your pocket memory card reader from the memory specialist Kingston that supports SD and Memory Stick formats.

When is a laptop not a laptop? A general answer might be when it is a netbook while a more specific answer could be when it is an Aspire One.

There seem to be more new Netbooks around than Notebooks. Here a small offering from Sony, I wonder why part numbers need to be complicated W11SIE is hardly likely to flow off your tongue when you pop down to your dealers.